The whole "fiscal cliff" meme was brilliant Wall Street propaganda...

It's just a change in a handful of fiscal policies. Changes that we can easily change back if we like. Or keep. Or some combination of keeping and changing. That's how self-government works.

Once you realize that it was just a scare tactic designed to get people to panic and agree to any deal at the last minute, even one that slashed SS benefits, suddenly it becomes very clear what they were up to all along.

23. +1 nt

3. I'm not sure how to take this

We are looking at cuts across the board to every program - including a lot of one's we don't support. While it's true that we can do nothing and the Bush Tax Cuts will expire and rates will go up, isn't it equally true that if we do nothing there were be harsh cuts in a lot of programs that don't need to be cut?

Maybe I'm missing something.

I think that John Stewart was right though - congress fired an asteroid at the United States economy in order to force themselves to figure out how to defend against asteroids. Only now it's turning out they don't know how.

4. It's about whether we come up with a deal now, or in January

Whatever deal we reach now will be worse than whatever deal we are able to reach in January.

This is the Shock Doctrine at work. Screams of "FIRE FIRE FIRE" and then the fear related to it being used as an excuse to attack programs the Republicans have been trying to dismantle for decades. They're trying to get their fingers in those so-called "entitlement" programs, and I feel very strongly that we need to hold firm that those programs are not available to them.

A deal can be reached very quickly in January with a more receptive Congress.

18. Exactly what I just posted, but you did it better, I see.

25. The "politicians" are In-On-The-SCAM.

In fact, with very few exceptions, THEY are willingly leading the attack.
Have you noticed that the Democratic Party Leadership always picks up the Republican Framing on every issue,
and then repeats the Republican Framing at every opportunity?

13. Kos wants you back.

17. That isn't the problem in Greece

They chose austerity as the route to recovery, which is what these compromises are trying to do with us. Also, because of the Euro, their currency is tied to other countries, and that complicates things too. We aren't Greece.

29. We are not Greece

Austerity made Greece worse so following their prescription will only produce the same results.
We are a sovereign nation with our own currency a currency everyone else still uses to purchase oil. But hey, great job regurgitating right wing talking points.

10. and the people who know better "fall for it" every time...

14. It's designed

to give the politicians cover after they screw us. When 7 out of 10 people don't want government to enact certain fiscal policies and it does anyway, it doesn't even take a 3 digit IQ to determine at the very least who Congress doesn't work for.

26. The same "terms" are repeated from the White House podium.

It is NOT just-the-Media.

[font color=firebrick][center]"There are forces within the Democratic Party who want us to sound like kinder, gentler Republicans.
I want a party that will STAND UP for Working Americans."
---Paul Wellstone [/font][/center]
[center][/font]
[font size=1]photo by bvar22
Shortly before Sen Wellstone was killed[/center][/font]

You will know them by their WORKS,
not by their rhetoric, promises, or excuses.
[font size=5 color=green]Solidarity99![/font][font size=2 color=green]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------[/center]

28. Bernanke coined that term in Feb 2012 warning about its effects on the economy.

BERNANKE ON THE FISCAL CLIFF AHEAD:

"Achieving long-run sustainability and providing comfort to the public and the markets that deficits will come under control over a period of time - that's very important for confidence and for creating more support for the recovery. But at the same time, I think you also have to protect the recovery in the near term. Under current law, on January 1, 2013, there's going to be a massive fiscal cliff of large spending cuts and tax increases. I hope that Congress will look at that and figure out ways to achieve the same long-run fiscal improvement without having it all happen at one date."

30. The fearmongering was started by Bernanke

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke warns of 'fiscal cliff' risks
Fears of a new recession grow as Bush-era tax cuts are set to expire Dec. 31 and automatic spending cuts are set to follow. Businesses are putting expansion on hold.
June 07, 2012 | By Don Lee, Los Angeles Times

WASHINGTON — Fears about a looming fiscal crisis at the end of the year are starting to pinch job growth and threatening to undercut the nation's fragile recovery, a growing number of economists and employers say.